Arizona congressman kicks off Hillsborough GOP speaker series

Arizona Rep. Trent Franks will be the featured speaker at the Hillsborough County Republican Party's summer dinner series that begins May 14. A news release announcing the event touts Franks for his 100 percent rating by the American Conservative Union.

Franks, who participated in a national Tea Party rally in Washington, D.C. in September, made news last summer when reports circulated that he was going to file a lawsuit compelling President Obama to release his birth certificate to prove he was born in the United States. That prompted Franks to put a statement on his web site that reads: "I had, at one time, considered the possibility of filing a lawsuit back when the issue was first brought to my attention prior to Mr. Obama being sworn into office. However, after a significant amount of research was done by my office, I came to the conclusion that the bulk of the evidence indicated that Barack Obama was indeed physically born in the state of Hawaii after it had become a State and is therefore a natural-born citizen; and that there was NOT a sufficient basis to file a lawsuit."

He then adds: "How can President Obama ask Americans to trust him on critical issues like healthcare reform, energy, and government spending, when he continues to be so dismissive of taking one easy step to cultivate their trust by releasing his long form birth certificate?"

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